Holy & Great Council

Metropolitan Alexios' Thoughts on the Holy and Great Council

My Beloved Ones,

Having just returned from Greece, I would like you to join me in giving glory to Almighty God for the beautiful meetings that took place during the Holy and Great Council in Crete, the island of Saints and Heroes of our Orthodox γένος.

I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, all throughout the Council: before we began, during the meetings, and especially during the Divine Liturgies which began and ended the Council; where all the Patriarchs and Archbishops of the autocephalous Churches celebrated together.

We missed the presence of the other Churches: the Antiochians, the Russians, the Georgians and the Bulgarians, who chose not to attend for personal reasons.